REFLECTING BACK ON 2011

It is amazing how time flys by. The older I get the faster it goes.
Looking back on 2011 I am amazed at all that can happen in one year!

Since retiring to Coos Bay Oregon from Corona California in 2006 I have missed my family so much, especially through the holidays. This year we did not put up a tree or decorate. I was just not in the mood and my thoughts were "why bother?". My middle Son said to me "because it is Christmas!" He is right. Next year I will put up a tree and decorate for Christmas. Even though I have no family here I should do it for me and to celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. That is what Christmas is supposed to be all about.

I paid close attention to all the Christmas cards I received this year and I only received two that said Merry Christmas or even mentioned Christ at all. I hate what this country is becoming. How can you take Christ out of Christmas? It is is his birthday weather you believe or not. The man was born and he was real and he does have a birthday. Well that is a sore subject with me so I will leave that for another time.

This past year I have felt heartache and despair with a divorce in my family. I have lost my favorite Aunt but was blessed with a beautiful Great Granddaughter. I saw my first born Granddaughter get married. My youngest Son is in his last year at the seminary where he will graduate with a degree in theology. My oldest Grandson started college this year. My youngest Granddaughter is becoming a young women .

I was fortunate to have my oldest Son and his wife visit me. An old friend also surprised me with a visit. I had not seen her in 16 years. I think my husband was ready to run away by the time she went home. We talked so much our throats were sore and so were his ears! Can you imagine trying to catch up for 16 years? It was funny trying to fit it all in.

My husband has leukemia/lymphoma and this past year his days were full of tests. Blood tests, MRI's, biopsy's, doctor visits and many trips to the pharmacy. He is at a stage that is "watch and wait, no treatment necessary". He recently had three swollen lymph nodes under his arm which one was removed for biopsy and showed nothing new. This is in addition to his chronic renal failure, enlarged prostate, chronic sinus infection, high blood pressure and two cataract surgeries. He has glaucoma in both eyes and has lost 90% of his vision in one eye. The cataract surgery has improved his vision so this is a good thing. Hopefully this next year will be a better one for him.

I have achieved some goals this past year. I finally reached my weight loss goal with the help of Zumba exercise and walking . I opened a new Etsy Shop Dec 2011 to sell my altered tin boxes, cigar boxes and altered jars. Most of my boxes are covered with my art work. The shop has done pretty good for the first year.

I was ask to design a month for a calendar book put together by Digital Whisper, a network I am a member of. I picked the month of June and that artwork and design was published in a desk calendar book for 2012.

I was honored when Digital Whisper ask me to be one of the administrators of their network. My job is to interview individual artists each month and post the interviews on the front page each month.This has been a challenge and a lot of fun.

This next year I plan to change some things on my blog. I want it to be interesting and more personal. My moto is "A place to meet wonderful people and share thoughts, ideas and life". I look forward to this new year and what it will bring.

Happy New Year to all of you! Be safe and God Bless you.

Remember this Lady?

Irena Sendler

Died: May 12, 2008 (aged 98)

Warsaw, Poland

During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an ulterior motive.

Irena smuggled Jewish infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried. She also carried a burlap sack in the back of her truck, for larger kids.

Irena kept a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.

During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants.

Ultimately, she was caught, however, and the Nazi's broke both of her legs and arms and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she had smuggled out, in a glass jar that she buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and tried to reunite the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

In 2007 Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected. Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

Later another politician, Barack Hussein Obama, won for his work as a community organizer for ACORN.

In MEMORIAM - 65 YEARS LATER

I'm doing my small part by forwarding this message.

It is now more than 65 years since the Second World War in Europe ended.

This is a memorial chain, in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated!

Now, more than ever, with Iran and others, claiming the HOLOCAUST to be 'a myth'. It's imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to you all.

A couple of weeks ago our Etsy Team had its annual Christmas Gift Exchange.

Linda, Carla and Eve

Nadine and Susan

We met for lunch and a had good conversation about our plans for the New Year.

Sue and Pamela


Sue brought this bust she is working on with her mosaic talents. Isn't he funny?

This has been a hard year for many with the economy the way it is. Lets pray that the New Year will bring good happy things to all of us.

Thank God many of our troops are coming home to their families for Christmas. I am sure there will be lots of happiness.

(The view from my kitchen window this morning)

Have a safe and Merry Christmas while you celebrate the birth of our savior.
God Bless You all

WINNER OF MY GIVE AWAY

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who's the luckiest of you all ?


Today is the drawing for the winner of my Give Away.

I wrote the names on a piece of paper and cut them into individual pieces

Folded each name in half and put them in a bowl

Reached in and drew this name.... GEORGIE OF PUDDIN PIE!
Congratulations Georgie !

Thanks to all of you for participating and for following my blog and looking at my Etsy shop and adding my links to your blogs. You all mean so much to me for without you I would not be blogging :)
I am looking forward to another year of blogging with all of you and making new friends.
Love you all

MY LATEST CREATION

Digital Whisper challenge this week was "Stairs". This is what I did for that challenge.
3 layers, 4 brushes. I call it Paradise.

Don't forget Friday is the deadline to sign up for my giveaway.
Have a blessed day !

MY LATEST CREATION

Steam Punk Dancer

This will be going on one of my tins.

70 Years !

Today marks the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Let us not forget those who served, my Father included.

A Beautiful Surprise

I received this lovely Thanksgiving ATC from my oldest blogging buddy today.

Vickie has been a big inspiration to my blogging and my art. She is on of my biggest supporters and I love her. Visit her blog at Whispers of Inspiration .
Thanks Vickie, I love this.

A GIVE AWAY !

I have decided to have a give away here at Treasure Barn.

Why? No special reason. I entered my first post back in Jan of 2007 thanks to my dear daughter in law Mica, and since then have posted 925 posts and I have 114 followers and numerous followers on my Patricia Creations Blog which is my gallery of art.

I look back on the art I did when I first started and I am amazed at what I have learned. Mixed media was what I started with and then became interested in digital art. I still do both. I love both but digital is my favorite now.

I started with ATC's and then created bigger pieces and then turned some of them into note cards. I have created on Masonite and moved to canvas. Last year in December I decided to altered altoid tins and cigar boxes by adding my art to them. I opened a shop on Etsy and since then have been doing pretty good.

So I guess in celebration of all I have learned since Jan of 2007, I am giving away one of my first mixed media collages (A Victorian Bride) done on Masonite and a matching set of 4 note cards and envelopes.

A hard back "Altered Art for the first time" book .
I got lots of ideas from this book.

A digital collage I created in 2010, mounted on canvas and 4 matching 2 x 3 stickers.


Bits and pieces of trim that I use for ATC's and 3/4 sheet of handmade paper.

Four of my first altered tins which includes a Siamese Cat, a Giraffe, Bumble Bee and my very first Steam Punk tin.

Here are the rules for those who want to participate in this give away.

• Follow my blog if you aren't already
• Leave me a comment that you want to enter the drawing
  
• Post on your blog, announcing my Give Away with a link to Treasure Barn
  
  www.treasurebarnblog.blogspot.com and to my Etsy Shop Altered State of Tin
• Visit my Etsy Shop and "Favor" one of my items there.

The winner will also receive a 25% discount on any item in my shop if you see something you would like . Just email me BEFORE YOUR FINAL PURCHASE and let me know which item you would like and I will adjust the invoice for that item .

• Deadline to enter in the drawing is Midnight December 16th
• Drawing will be Sunday, December 18th
  

I will get all of these items in the mail to the winner on Monday December 19th so they can reach you before Christmas.

Thanks for being my blogging buddies. Without you I wouldn't be here!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE !

GETTING READY FOR CHRISTMAS

I have been working constantly on some new tins and a couple of new jars to add to my Etsy Shop.

I have been working constantly on some new tins (a total of 8) . I even created my first shrine and a couple of new jars to add to my Etsy Shop. It took me four days to create and photograph and add to my shop. I only have two left to add.

Then I have been getting ready to create a new Christmas banner for my blog .

I created this Christmas Card for my Son David. He loves it !

I am also almost ready to post a give away here so watch for it tomorrow evening.

A Personal Collage

Recently I had a opportunity to create a 50th class reunion collage for Cheryl over at Healing Woman

She sent me 15 photos of what she wanted on her brochure and explained that she knew nothing about layering but wanted her painting of the women to be transparent and to look like she was remembering her high school years. She also wanted some sort of time piece to show the passage of time. I offered to help her and she sent me her photographs and the brochure that she had done.

Here are her 15 pictures

Painting by Cheryl

This was her brochure when she ask me for help.

This is what I did with all those pictures and I made her women face transparent. She was delighted with it and I was delighted that I could help her out.
What do you think?

Twlight Fanatic

Went to see the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn just before Thanksgiving. I am so hooked on this sage.

Inspires me to create! These are just a few of what I have in mind .

Breaking Dawn

Lost Souls

Leader of the Pack

I will be having a give away this week so keep you eyes out for it.
I will be giving away a couple of my tins as well as one of these digital collages.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday !

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you wonderful blogging friends. Have a safe and happy day.

This is my baby son Tony. He is the youngest of three.
Today is his birthday. He will be graduating from the Seminary in CA in 6 months.
He will then have a degree in theology. Soon he will have his own church.
I am so proud of him. He has struggled and worked and studied very hard over the past few years.
He life's dream is to serve our Lord .
Happy Birthday Tony.
We Love You

A Visit from My Son David from Las Vegas

My oldest son David and his wife Lisa came to visit over the Veterans Day weekend. They have never been to Oregon before so we took them on a tour. Thought you might want to come along :)

We walked along the boardwalk and browsed through some of the shops here.

David and Lisa on the dock of the bay....

Stopped to see the coast guard tug boats.

And the plane that will take you on a tour over the Bay. Lisa is afraid of flying so this little plane was of no interest to her.

McCullough Bridge over the Bay as you come in to North Bend

The railroad bridge that opens when the ships come in to the bay.

We drove to Winchester Bay for lunch and then to the dunes
Alan and I standing in front of the whale watch site above the dunes.

They enjoyed seeing dunes since they both have ATV's and ride in the desert for recreation

More sand in the dunes. David wanted to walk on it to see if it was soft sand. He said it was much different than the sand in the Las Vegas and Arizona desert where ride usually ride their ATV's

Lisa loves light houses so we took her to see this one.
The Umpqua Light house which is still an active light house.

Then we went to Shore Acres which is a beautiful garden covering acres of land. It was Designed as a summer retreat by Louie Simpson and he built a house as a Christmas present for his first wife, Cassie. The house was built 75 feet above the waves in 1906.

The first house burned to the ground and they built another one. When Mr Simpson passed away he donated this beautiful garden and the land to the state of Oregon. Today it is the biggest tourist attraction in the area. At Christmas time the decorate with over 250,000.00 lights. It is amazing and so beautiful. If you look you can see they have already started putting the lights on the bushes and there are all kinds of decorated Christmas trees all over the garden

This is the beach below Shore Acres below the garden.

Usually quiet and secluded and a wonderful place to go if you want peace and quiet.
My friend goes there often when she wants to be alone with God

The next day we headed for Bandon. This is the Coquille Light House. Built in 1800's.
It is no longer active but does have tours during the summer.

David and Me on the steps of the light house.

You can see just how big this light house is here.

A beautiful shot of the sun behind a cloudy sky and the light house in front.

David standing on a rock out there in that nasty water. He just had to scare me!
Get back here David!

The waters were really rough but so beautiful

I love this shot. The water is so beautiful

These are logs that have washed up on the shore.

David and Lisa on the beach at Bandon

They were amazed at the changing of colors on the trees here.
Not to many trees in Vegas unless they are palm or yucca.

Lisa enjoyed shopping in all the shops here in Bandon.
They bought lots of candy at the Cranberry Sweets factory (I didn't get a shot of that) where they make all sorts of cranberry fudge and candy.
She also had fun trying on hats. Cute Lisa :)

Then we headed home and on our way up our lane the neighbors goats were out blocking the road.
Now that is something you don't see in Vegas !

They had a great time and I am pleased as punch that they came to visit.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.